"My initial impression, Chief," she said, "is that Devin Austin isn't necessarily crazy. I just think he's got a lot of energy and a VERY vivid imagination, and that he needs something to occupy himself.
"Is there some kind of program he could get into? Some job-training thing?"
_______________
Alice, practicing drink-making for her Mixology job before work, was very happy to be getting her figure back.
Regina, on the other hand, was happily getting bigger every day.
"I sure am lucky to have so many baby-sitters!" Alice laughed.
Regina just cooed at Daedelus, and kissed his forehead,
before placing him back into his bassinet.
"Those are beautiful earrings, Alice," Regina observed. "Are they new?"
"Thanks, hon," Alice said. "Dude gave me them as a present right after Daedelus was born."
"That was nice," Regina said cautiously.
"Yes," Alice smiled. "Yes it was."
_______________
"So, how about we get 'dressed to the nines' and go out to dinner tonight?" Peter suggested to Lou. "Just the two of us. Let's just get out of the house, and take a break from work, and from all of the other stress we've got going in our lives."
"Umm, okay," responded Lou, who was in a rare decent mood that morning.
_______________
"You look like you've had a tough day," Javier said sympathetically.
"Is it that obvious?" Lana laughed grimly.
She briefly considered telling the bartender about her morning meeting with her strange parolee, then spending the rest of the day having to keep an eye on Rafael's construction crew, and having to make several update calls to Rafael's personal assistant on the L.A. soundstage of his Latin soap opera, but decided against it.
Because she didn't want to think about her long day any more, and only wanted to enjoy a couple of drinks and some food before going back to Rafael's to house-sit.
"I've been tending bar for a long time," Javier answered. "I can just tell. What can I get you?"
"Nothing silly or girly!" Lana cautioned him. "Nothing with fruit--or an umbrella!"
"No," Javier agreed. "You look like a 'Wrench' girl to me." He started making her that drink.
Lana had learned about the Rattlesnake Bar from one of her fellow future police officers.
So far, she thought it was a decent enough place.
"Helloooooo!" Devin Austin said, delighted, abruptly sliding onto the stool next to her.
"Mr. Austin," Lana grimaced, displeased at the interruption to her hoped-for quiet evening out. "How are you?" (Lana was not really interested in hearing an answer.)
"Just WONDERFUL!" he gushed. "Especially now that I'm seeing YOU again! And you look so HOT--MUCH better than you looked this morning!!!"
'OHHHH boy,' Lana sighed to herself.
_______________
After about a half hour of frustrating conversation, Lana inquired, "So, what would you like to do with your life, Mr. Austin?"
"Just what I'm doing now!" he exclaimed.
"I hang out, I meet ladies," he said happily. "Hey, would you like to come home with me tonight?"
"That's not what I meant, Mr. Austin," Lana said sternly. "What kind of JOB might interest you?"
"I don't know, really," he said. His voice trailed off.
_______________
"This was a good idea," Lou admitted, once she and Peter had been seated at their table at the Solar Flare Lounge.
"Yeah, I just thought we needed a break from our day-to-day life," Peter responded.
"And," he continued bravely, "if you won't kill me for saying so, you look spectacular tonight."
"Is that really what you think of me, Peter?" Lou replied, regarding him closely. "That I can't even make civil conversation???"
"No," he laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "I think you're very good at 'civil conversation.' It's just that, whenever anyone tries to go BEYOND that, and you feel your personal space is being invaded, you get a bit ... umm ... 'prickly'."
Lou was clearly wounded by this remark,
and stomped off to the ladies' room.
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